Alan Paton

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Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a white South African author and liberal political activist.

Contents

[edit] Family

Paton was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province (now KwaZulu-Natal), the son of a minor civil servant.[1] After attending Maritzburg College, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Natal[1] in his hometown, followed by a diploma in education. After graduation, Paton worked as a teacher, first at the Ixopo High School for White Students, and subsequently at a Pietermaritzburg high school[1] While at Ixopo he met Dorrie Francis Lusted.[1] They were married in 1928 and remained together until her death from emphysema in 1967.[1] Their life together is documented in Paton's book Kontakion for You Departed, published in 1969. Paton and his secretary, Anne Hopkins, were married the same year.[1]

[edit] Early career

He served as the principal of the Diepkloof Reformatory for young (African) offenders from 1935 to 1948, where he introduced controversial reforms of a progressive slant.[1] Most notable among these were the open dormitory policy, the work permit policy, and the home visitation policy. Boys were initially housed in closed dorms. Once they had proven themselves trustworthy, they would be transferred to open dorms within the compound. Boys who showed high levels of trustworthiness would be permitted to work outside the compound. In some cases, boys were even permitted to reside outside the compound under the supervision of a care family. Interesting to note is that fewer than 1% of ten thousand boys given home leave during Paton's years at Diepkloof ever broke their trust by failing to return.

Paton volunteered for service during World War II, but was refused. During this time, he took a trip, at his own expense, to tour correctional facilities across the world. He toured Scandinavia, England, continental Europe, and the United States of America. During his time in Norway, he began work on his seminal novel Cry, The Beloved Country, which he would complete over the course of his journey, finishing it on Christmas Eve in San Francisco in 1946.[1] There, he met Aubrey and Marigold Burns, who read his manuscript and found a publisher to publish it.

[edit] Opposition to apartheid

In 1948 the separatist Nationalist Party came to power. In 1953 Paton founded the South African Liberal Party, which fought against the apartheid legislation introduced by the National Party. He remained the president of the SALP until its forced dissolution by the apartheid regime in the late 1960s, officially because both blacks and whites comprised its membership. His writer colleague Laurens van der Post, who had moved to England in the 1930s, helped the party in many ways. Van der Post knew that the South African Secret Police was aware that he was paying money to Paton, but could not stop it by legal procedures. Paton himself was noted for his peaceful opposition to the apartheid system, as were many others in the party, though some did take a more direct, violent route. Consequently, the party did have some stigma attached to it as a result of these actions. Paton's passport was confiscated on his return from New York in 1960, where he had been presented with the annual Freedom Award.

Paton's short stories, Tales From a Troubled Land (1961), and his third novel, Ah, but Your Land Is Beautiful (1981), also dealt with the racial theme. The novel was built on parallel life stories, letters, speeches, news and records in legal proceedings, and mixed fictional and real-life characters, such as Albert Lutuli and Hendrik Verwoerd. "Paton attempts to imbue his characters with a humanity not expected of them. In this novel, for example, we meet the supposedly obdurate Afrikaner who contravenes the infamous Immorality Act. There are other Afrikaners, too, who are led by their consciences and not by rules, and regulations promulgated by a faceless, monolithic parliament." (from Post-Colonial African Writers, ed. by Pushipa Naidu Parekh and Siga Fatima Jagne, 1998)

Paton retired to Botha's Hill, where he resided until his death. He is honoured at the Hall of Freedom of the Liberal International organization.

[edit] Selected Works:

Cry, The Beloved Country has been filmed twice (in 1951 and 1995) and was the basis for the Broadway musical Lost in the Stars (adaptation by Maxwell Anderson, music by Kurt Weill).

The Alan Paton Award for non-fiction is conferred annually in his honour.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Alan (Stewart) Paton (1903-1988)

[edit] External links

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Liberalism in South Africa
Apartheid-era political parties and groups
Post-Apartheid political parties and groups
People before and during the apartheid era
Post-apartheid people
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